From one who went out to teach fasting
Fasting — a benefit for body, mind and soul. You come to rest, your thoughts become clearer and all your senses become more intense again.
It all started in 2008 when I saw the photos and videos of my 50th birthday and wondered who that guy with the fat face was? Oh dear, that was me – the end product of thoughtless fast food consumption, the little snack in between, chips on the couch, food available everywhere and around the clock. It was clear to me: this had to change. Quickly. Immediately. The solution: fasting! But not alone and anywhere, but “somewhere nice”; with nice people, in a group.
Today, more than 14 fasting experiences later (among others on Sylt, Mallorca, Madeira, Sardinia, in Andalusia, at the Baltic Sea and on the Darß) as well as a thorough training at the “Deutsche Fastenakademie e.V.” (German Fasting Academy), as a medically certified fasting leader with examination in the naturopathic department of the Charité in Berlin, I am happy to pass on my wide-ranging experience.
My offer: fasting and hiking in and around the former German capital Bonn.
“Fasting is the conscious, voluntary renunciation of solid food and stimulants for a limited period of time.”
What fasting is
Fasting is a benefit for body, mind and soul. You come to rest, your thoughts become clearer and all your senses become more intense again.
Fasting is the complete RESET button for body, mind and soul.
“Fasting is the voluntary abstention from food for a certain period of time”: This is the “official” definition of fasting by Otto Buchinger, one of the founding fathers of fasting. Equally catchy is the statement of his disciple Helmut Lützner: “Whoever fasts does not starve; whoever starves does not fast”.
During fasting, the body nourishes itself from within. For a certain period of time – medical experts speak of over 40 days – our body is able to feed itself from its own resources, mostly body fat. During this time it burns off all toxins, waste products, defective cells and gets its energy from the stored reserves and surpluses. This is called autophagy. The body can purify, detoxify and cleanse itself, rejuvenate!
What it is not
Fasting is not a new diet, but a century-old wisdom.
Fasting is not about losing a few kilos quickly: that is the “pleasant side effect”; nor is it the secret knowledge of some esoteric, alumnus or other conspiracy theorist. Fasting is not a new series of articles in the form of the “Brigitte diet” and it is not a zero diet either. Proper fasting does not lead to the yo-yo effect and there is no muscle loss. Fasting is not unhealthy or even harmful, it is not just something for the super-fit, the high-performance athletes or the “rich and beautiful”. However, fasting is also not a panacea, not a miracle weapon against all diseases; but it can have a supportive effect in many therapies, even in cancer.
Types of fasting
Therapeutic fasting should always take place under medical supervision – “fasting for healthy people”, on the other hand, can take place on your own responsibility.
Buchinger fasting
There is a crucial and important difference between therapeutic fasting and “fasting for healthy people”. Therapeutic fasting, according to Buchinger, is always under medical supervision, usually in an appropriate clinic, and can last up to 4 weeks. “Fasting for healthy people”, as defined by Helmut Lützner, lasts for 5 to10 days and takes place under the personal responsibility of the fasting person. A certified fasting instructor assists the fasting person with advice and support. Every day you will have about 0.4 l of fruit and vegetable juices, 0.2 l of vegetable broth, plenty of tea and water, combined with lots of exercise and times of rest.
FX Mayr / Bread Fasting
Reduction of daily food intake to 2-3 stale bread rolls, 1/2 l of cow, oat, soy or almond milk, plenty of water and tea.
Schroth Cure / “Schnapps Cure“
The Schroth cure is a type of fasting that alternates between drinking days and dry days. There are large and small drinking days with water and tea, as well as dry white wine!
Similar to FX Mayr 2-3 bread rolls a day.
Mucus fasting
Reducing the daily food intake to plenty of tea and water and approx. 0.5 litres of mucus, e.g. from linseed, rice, oats or similar grains
Whey fasting
Reduction of the daily food intake to 1 litre of fresh cow’s milk whey in approx. 8 portions, tea and water ad libitum.
Guelpa fasting: This is a fast of 3-5 days repeated periodically in 14 days. Comes under the topic of Intermittent Fasting
Water fasting / zero diet: “Nutrition” exclusively through at least 3L of water per day.
Intermittent fasting
Is becoming more and more popular and is easy to implement. There should be breaks between meals, e.g. 8 hours eating : 16 hours fasting, 1 day eating :1 day fasting or 5 days eating : 2 days fasting. You can be creative about the time, but there should always be at least 16 hours until the next meal to trigger the autophagy process. Recommended as a diet following a Buchinger/Lützner fast.
Alkaline fasting
Alkaline fasting is actually not fasting but a change in diet; a calorie-reduced diet based on alkaline is practised. Very tasty! Recommended as a diet following a Buchinger/Lützner fast.
Intuitive eating
Intuitive eating sounds easy, but in the end it is the most difficult method. You should only eat when you are hungry and only eat what your body feels like eating until you are full. But this only works with a lot of discipline and with a healthy body that is still able to deliver the right eating signals. It is also difficult to know exactly the difference between hunger and appetite. Recommended as a diet following a Buchinger/Lützner fast.
Protein fasting: abstaining from all protein.
(Source: Various forms of fasting R. Stange, Ernährungsumschau 11/2017)
Fasting walks in Bonn
Get to know the federal city of Bonn in a new and healthy way.
We carry out fasting according to Buchinger/Lützner in combination with daily walks in and around Bonn. Get to know the federal city in a new way. We walk along the Rhine, through the distinctive quarters of the city, get to know the Kreuzberg, Venusberg, Drachenfels and Ölberg, walk in Beethoven’s footsteps and have lots of great views of the Rhine and the the Seven Hills south of Bonn.
The exact routes and distances depend on the particular venue and the weather. Distances range from 8 km to 16 km, and if we are going through the Seven Hills, there are also some uphill stretches waiting for us.
Sturdy shoes, walking sticks if necessary and clothing for all weathers are helpful. The routes can easily be mastered by the inexperienced. We take plenty of breaks and want to enjoy nature and the surroundings!
In the course of time you will notice how your physical condition is improving.
Here is a small preview of the routes:
» KOMOOT / Outdooractive
How it works
Take your time. Time for relaxation. Time for good conversations with nice people. And time to relearn real enjoyment.
According to Buchinger/Lützner, fasting for healthy people begins with 1 to 2 days of relief (the more the better). The diet should be light – fruit, vegetables, salad – and in any case less in terms of quantity. At the same time, stimulants such as coffee, tea, nicotine and alcohol should be avoided or at least severely limited.
Then it’s time to start with the “Glauber magic” – a quantity of Glauber’s salt dissolved in 1/2l of water, determined individually by the fasting instructor, and drunk slowly. Yes, it takes some getting used to, best to compare it to a very tart pilsner. Plenty of peppermint tea or a splash of syrup will soften the taste.
In the next few hours you should stay close to the toilet, because the “drumbeat” follows – one or more powerful bowel movements. Fasting has started!
For the next 5 to10 days, you meet in the morning for the “morning exercise to wake up”, followed by a delicious fruit/vegetable juice. Always the big guess: What’s in it? What does it taste like?
Then we set off for walks in the beautiful countryside in and around Bonn. Drink plenty of water on the way, and have a lemon slice for lunch. Back again, rest for body and soul is the order of the day. Time for a nap. How about a liver wrap? In the evening we meet again for a delicious fasting broth, it’s always good to have something warm in your belly. Afterwards, it’s time to relax again, have good conversations with nice people, maybe a lecture on nutritional topics, etc.
Goal achieved – breaking the fast: today is the big day: the first apple after fasting. Experience a whole new pleasure!
Now the most important thing – the build-up days “Any fool can fast, but only a wise man can break a fast properly!” (George Bernard Shaw). Here is your chance to make a fundamental change in your eating style. Start with some cooked vegetables, little (preferably no meat at all), possibly some fish, in any case something wholesome, with few preparation steps.
By the way, the English word “breakfast” literally means “breaking the fast”.
We will help you with tips, recipes and information.
Why you are not hungry
“He who fasts does not go hungry; he who goes hungry does not fast.”
Especially for people who are fasting for the first time, this is one of the greatest miracles! It sounds amazing, but during a proper fast you don’t feel hungry. How does it come about? or How come?
Fasting is a head and gut thing. Those who decide to fast have already mentally prepared themselves for this time, that helps a lot.
The start of the fast, the “drumbeat” is the complete emptying of the intestines through the “Glauber spell”. Once the intestines are empty and the body realises that no more food is coming, it switches off most of its digestive activity as an “emergency programme”. After all, you are no longer hungry. The rest is made possible by various hormones and conversion processes in the body, it switches to “internal nutrition”, keyword ketogenesis. It gets the energy it needs from the unpopular fat deposits. This is also the reason why people like to talk about the life rings around the hips.
“He who fasts does not starve; he who starves does not fast” Otto Buchinger “Nature cures everything, only by omitting” Helmut Lützner. Our body is an absolute miracle of survival and adaptation. This is especially true when fasting. If no more food comes from outside, it immediately switches to “nourishment from within”. The first carbohydrate reserves are found in the liver. These last for about 12 to14 hours. After that, it tries to draw energy from the muscles. Don’t worry, it only gets the necessary proteins from muscles that are not being used. This should be countered very quickly with some exercise and sport to show how much muscle is important.
This state lasts for about 2 to 3 days. And then the big miracle happens! It switches over to so-called ketogenesis, the production of energy from the body’s own fat! And we have plenty of fat deposits. In this way, depending on the body, it can feed itself for up to 40 days and even beyond.
Who should not fast
Despite the healthy effects of fasting on the body, there are situations/times when you should not or must not fast.
Although fasting can almost be described as a fountain of youth, you should not fast if any of the following apply to you:
– Women during pregnancy and breastfeeding
– People who are severely underweight (cachexia)
– Addictions (alcohol and drug addiction)
– Anorexia Nervosa (anorexia)
– Hyperthyroidism (decompensated hyperthyroidism)
– Advanced dementia
– Type 1 diabetes
– Psychoses
– Malignant diseases (cancer, stomach/intestinal ulcers)
– Advanced heart disease
– Retinal detachments
If in doubt, always consult your family doctor!
After fasting
Now is the best moment to make lasting changes to your life and eating habits.
George Bernard Shaw once said: “Any fool can fast, but only a wise man can break a fast”. It’s true – now the most important phase of fasting begins: the reintroduction and build-up of food.
It starts with a great ceremony – the first apple. The first food opens the door to the “normal” world again. You have never experienced an apple like this before. Pay attention to your body: what is it hungry for, how much or better, how little does it want! Now is the best moment to make lasting changes to your life and eating habits.
Try a low-meat or maybe even vegan lifestyle. Learn to appreciate the taste of raw vegetables, fresh fruit and lightly cooked vegetables. Try to prepare everything as freshly as possible and with few processing steps. Realise why food is food.
Try out the benefits of intermittent fasting, plan fasting into your annual rhythm, just like your holidays.
We will help you with many tips, tricks and recipes.
History
Where does fasting come from?
Greylag geese can manage up to 5,000 kilometres without food on their long flights south.
Fasting has a history; fasting has different dimensions and is actually something quite natural.
Many animals interrupt their food intake – not only during hibernation. Greylag geese can manage up to 5,000 kilometres without food on their long flights south. During this time, they live on the fat reserves they have accumulated. The emperor penguin in Antarctica even fasts twice a year. Once for just under 50 days and then for over 100 days. While it incubates the egg, it waits for the female to return from the long journey to the sea loaded with food.
Our bodies have a genetic programme that ensured our survival when we were hunter-gatherers: our body’s ability to meet nutritional needs from its own reserves. After all, none of our forefathers knew when the next mammoth could be killed.
Jesus fasted for 40 days in the desert and was tempted by the devil; after fasting he began to preach. Mohammed fasted for 30 days and the archangel Gabriel delivered the Qur’an to him, an event that is emulated with Ramadan. Buddha achieved enlightenment while fasting. In Judaism, too, for example on Yom Kippur, fasting is observed.
In Christianity, we know that the debauched Carnival is always followed by Lent. That is why Carnival Tuesday is actually called “FastNacht”. Catholics mark the beginning of Lent with an ash cross on their forehead.
We are actually very familiar with the word fasting in the modern world.
Dates and prices
Current fasting events
Fasting Hikes in the Federal City of Bonn:
Fasting according to the Buchinger/Lützner Method
Fasting & Hiking for english speaking guests
Fasting according to the Buchinger / Lützner method
Keep your eye on your goal!
Perhaps it is not yet the right time to start a fasting course. That is not a bad thing. You have already taken the first step towards making a change. You can stay in touch with us through our newsletter.